1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manipulation device that can give a manipulation feeling to a manipulator in response to a manipulation by the manipulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various manipulation devices with a force feedback function are proposed. When the manipulator manipulates a manipulation member, these various manipulation devices impart an external force (sense of force) such as a resistance force or thrust that matches the amount of manipulation of the manipulation member and its manipulation direction so that a manipulation feeling can be made superior and a desired manipulation can be reliably performed. In particular, in the manipulation of a vehicle-mounted control device such as for air conditioning, audio, or navigation, blind manipulation is often performed, rather than manipulation performed while the control device is viewed, so imparting a sense of force to the manipulation member (manipulation knob) has been effective from the viewpoint of safety as well.
A manual input device 800, for use in an automobile, that uses the manipulation device as described above, is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-50639 (cited as a first conventional example). FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the manual input device 800 in the first conventional example, illustrating the main elements in the basic structure of the manual input device 800.
The manual input device 800 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes a knob 880 (manipulation member) that is rotated by being manually manipulated by the operator (manipulator), a planetary gear mechanism having a carrier axis 851 provided integrally with the knob 880, a cylindrical ring gear case 860 (fixing member) that constantly fixes a ring gear 862 in the planetary gear mechanism, a motor 810 having an output axis 811 engaged with a sun gear 832 in the planetary gear mechanism, an encoder 830 (detection means) that detects the rotation of the output axis 811 of the motor 810, and a control means that controls the rotation of the motor 810 according to the result of detection by the encoder 830. To give a predetermined manipulation feeling to the manipulator, the manual input device 800 rotates the motor 810 at a predetermined timing, and transmits this rotational force to the knob 880 through the planetary gear mechanism.
Although this manual input device 800 can give a superior manipulation feeling, however, the use of the motor 810 has made it difficult for the manual input device 800 to meet a demand for further downsizing. In view of this, a method has been explored by which an external force (sense of force), such as a resistance force or thrust that matches the amount of manipulation of the manipulation member and its manipulation direction, has been exploded without using the motor 810.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2005-507061 (cited as a second conventional example), a manual brake 911 is proposed that uses a magnetic field responsive material (magnetic viscous fluid) the fluidity of which is affected by a magnetic field generating means. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the manual brake 911 in the second conventional example in the longitudinal direction.
The manual brake 911 illustrated in FIG. 11 includes a housing 913 having a first housing chamber 915 and a second housing chamber 917, a closing plate 919 that covers the open end of the housing 913, a shaft 923 that passes through the second housing chamber 917 and extends to the first housing chamber 915, a rotor 921 that is provided integrally with the shaft 923 at its end and is disposed in the first housing chamber 915 in parallel with the closing plate 919, a magnetic field generator 929 that is provided in the first housing chamber 915 in the immediate vicinity of the outer periphery of the rotor 921, a magnetic responsive material 941 that is filled in the first housing chamber 915 so as to enclose the rotor 921, and a control means 925 that is provided in the second housing chamber 917 and controls and monitors a brake operation. The magnetic field generator 929 has a coil 931 and a pole piece 933 (yoke) disposed so as to enclose three sides of the coil 931.
When the coil 931 is energized, a magnetic flux J37 illustrated in FIG. 11 by broken lines is generated. Along with the generation of this magnetic flux J37, soft magnetic or magnetizable particles in the magnetic responsive material 941 are arranged along the magnetic flux J37. Thus, resistance to be given to the rotor 921 by the magnetic responsive material 941 is increased in a direction in which this arrangement is cut, that is, the rotational direction of the rotor 921, which rotationally operates. Accordingly, the manual brake 911 has a brake effect that stops the rotational operation of the shaft 923 by using this magnetic responsive material 941 and rotor 921.